Do you dream of running?

That's FASCINATING! I've never dreamt that I was running (for pleasure), but really only my nightmares are interesting.

Never seen a rattlesnake in the wild before (but plenty of gopher snakes on my trails). How long did it take for your heart rate to resettle? :)

The funny thing about snakes and other wildlife encounters is that I always find that "I" have taken massive avoiding action, instinctively, way before I become conscious of what the threat is. Or was.

I've occasionally found myself in the air and yelping, and about a second later realised I've hurdled a mouse, or something equally ferocious.

Hi Simon....and I always thought it was " restless leg syndrome " ! :)

My only snake encounter involved stepping on a water moccasin while on a trail run just before dawn. I remember feeling something squishy underfoot ( not a comforting feeling as I recall ), and when I turned to see what it was, it was coiled and ready to defend it's turf. It decided to slither down the bank into the water. I do remember that the experience woke me up the way even coffee couldn't do.

In reading some of your recent posts , I see that you're easing off the throttle and enjoying leisurely runs. I am doing the same. I've never run more than 35 miles in a week. Many of the master's elite runners talk of building a base of fifty plus miles per week. My strategy is to systematically add about 10 % to my mileage per week , which should put me at about 50mpw by January or February. In theory , I should be able to follow that with a season of strengthening and then sharpening - putting me in position to make another run at sub 5 next Spring.

My dad died a few weeks back. He had been battling a rare and debilitating illness for almost two years and his passing is a relief in many ways. I'm coming to terms with the fact that he's gone. He was a runner , and I'm sure there was a dynamic tracing all the way back to high school , where an element of my drive for speed and success in track , had to do with a desire to gain his approval. As an adult , it was far less of a factor , but I now intend to enjoy running purely for the joy of being in motion.

I do enjoy going onto www.letsrun.com on Sunday's to read the thread of "Master's weekend races and runs". Many of the top master's runners in the country share stories of exploits , injury management , and a healthy dose of encouragement. I rarely post anything ( my times , at least in my mind , haven't earned me the right to say much ) but I always find the collective wisdom that is shared to be motivating.

A gentle , snail's pace , is nothing to regret. I think I'm on my way out the door to enjoy just that !

All the best ,

Chase

Hey Chase. Yes, I got my approach turned round by a chat with Lorraine Moller. She pointed out a few things to me... like I had got so desperate to get fast enough to do a good mile that I had lost the pure joy of running. She kind of gave me permission to drop schedules and goals and just go out and tune into my body.

I was out at the Res tonight, cruising along on an 11-miler and remembering the debacle of this year's Pearl Street Mile, where I had so lost touch with my endurance base that the mile felt like a really long way :)

"Joy of motion" -- you got it.

I started thinking what would happen if I was to build up to 70 miles a week -- something I have never done. And before I knew it I had a table of miles per week stretching away months in advance! I tore it up! I've decided that having a mileage target to hit by a certain date would be, for me, more of the same madness that didn't work last time.

I want to listen to my body, keep the joy, and run as much as I want, when I want, as fast as I feel like doing it. I've put 6 months aside for this, and I'm just going to see where I end up. It might be 50 miles a week, it might be 80 -- I have no idea.

While the pressure is off I am doing the strengthening and flexibility work now with plenty of cross-training. The "new" Paula Radcliffe says she is leaner, but not lighter -- she has upped her power-to-weight ratio with a stack of cross training,a dn I'm following her example!

Sorry to hear about your dad; I've been there. It can be quite a shocking event for a man. I found it not only gave me a taste of my own mortality, but also there was a feeling of, "Oh, I'm it now". Course I am/was an only child.

Thanks for the wise words.

I've had running dreams in the past. They tend to recur every night for several weeks then fade away. The people and places in these dreams get to be very real, and it's like I am actually in another place and/or time while I'm in the dream.
One dream I had for a while was running over shoreline sand dunes for miles and miles.